Discussion: Branding

Response 1
Class,
I decided that the product that I will choose to market is a new video game. I made this choice because my son is a gamer and I will use him in a sense for comparison and outlook. The VALS survey said that I fit the mold of primary: achiever and secondary: experiencer. Although I did not agree with some of the points, I do agree with most of them in both categories. The game in itself would be similar to SIMS. The difference in SIMS and the game that I would create would be the series of scenarios, questions, and answers to real life situations to instill moral values and ethics since I feel like that is something that has been forgotten these days.
Three possible profiles for my target audiences would be strivers, believers, and thinkers.  Strivers would be my first target audience because according to VALS (2021), these types of people like to use video and video games as a form of fantasy. Believers would be the next audience because they believe in basic “rights” and “wrongs” lead a good life (2021). Thinkers would be my final target audience because they are not influenced by what’s hot (VALS, 2021).
Three places that I would advertise my product is Barnes and Nobles, High School events, and Malls. High school events and malls would be my priority place because there is a great mixture of types of people and minds in these places. Barnes and Nobles was an easy choice because I know thinkers and deep people live in their. In Weinstein (2018), the author states that the keys to marketing lye in how you will attract, engage, and convert your audience. She goes on to state that the demographic of a customer is a key ingredient in learning them as well (Weinstein, 2018).
VALS, (2021). Strategic Insights. http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes.shtml 

Wienstein, (2018). How to Know Your Audience to Master Your Marketing Campaigns. Search Engine Journal.
Response 2
Viability for Mobile Dog Grooming Services
While it is commonplace knowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic will and has resulted in significant changes in societies around the world as well as the global society, there is one key change that has remained relatively hidden. The rise of pet adoption rates across different regions. For instance, in the United States, it is estimated that 11.3 million Americans acquired a new pet during the pandemic. In Britain, half of all households with a pet got an extra one. This trend is supported by reports that animal shelters around the world have reported increased adoption with most kennels being almost empty (Grubb, 2021). However, as noted by Shneck (2020) approximately 60 percent of new dog owners are first-time owners. Another key statistic is that 24 percent of pet owners in the US are millennials and 74 percent of millennial pet owners are dog owners (Calonia, 2017).
Nevertheless, while this was a welcome change across societies, especially due to the implications it could have on reducing cruelty against animals, owning a pet does come with its challenges and as a sense of normalcy resumes with more people resuming their commutes to their places of work and school 73 percent new dog owners are considering rehoming their dogs (Merck, 2020). However, this is mainly due to the challenges of caring for a pet as opposed to the resumption of normal activities whereby, 70 percent of all dog owners outline they are open to learning ways to keep their dogs healthy. As a result, the lack of knowledge of how to take care of a pet (25 percent), the time required to take care of a pet (58 percent), and the cost of taking care of a pet (33 percent), are the main factors predicating the intention to rehome (Merck, 2020). It is this that grounds the business feasibility for a mobile dog groomer. Since a mobile groomer travels to a pet owner’s home to provide pet grooming services, this service is uniquely aligned to the challenges new owners are facing and those they are anticipating as normal activities resume gradually. As a mobile groomer, the business model is to not only offer grooming services but also basic information and training to owners on how to take care of their pets. By extension, this service will address the knowledge and time-related constraints to caring for a pet.
As a result, from the identified VALS types, this business model will mainly focus on innovators for their innate liking for novelty, convenience, and self-directed consumption which the service encourages and supports. Believers, due to their belief in basic rights and wrongs especially as they relate to caring for pets, their need for friendly communities which pets make possible, and their value for constancy and stability which the service will offer by not necessitating rehoming. Finally, achievers due to their goal orientations, value for privacy, as well as value for technology that promotes productivity. Therefore, with regards to marketing, the business model will utilize social media, celebrity endorsements, TV and digital media, as well as user-generated content to appeal to these groups of consumers.    
  

References

Calonia, J. (2017, January 30). I’m A First-Time Dog Owner, And I Wish I Knew This. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercalonia/2017/01/30/im-a-first-time-dog-owner-and-i-wish-i-knew-this/?sh=9e1a026d8a8f
Grubb, L. (2021, March 16). Increased Pet Ownership During COVID-19 Shows Need For Animal Health Innovations. Retrieved from Life Science Leader: https://www.lifescienceleader.com/doc/increased-pet-ownership-during-covid-shows-need-for-animal-health-innovations-0001
Merck. (2020, November 23). Merck Animal Health Survey Reveals First-Time Dog Owners Need Support. Retrieved from PR Newswire: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/merck-animal-health-survey-reveals-first-time-dog-owners-need-support-301178562.html
Schneck, M. (2020, July 9). Pandemic dogs: More than half of new owners are first-time owners. Retrieved from Pennlive: https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2020/07/pandemic-dogs-more-than-half-of-new-owners-are-first-time-owners.html